Supporting Freedom of Expression in Myanmar

20 Top, Young Journalists to Partake in the "Burma Telling Its Own Story" Cultural Exchange & Journalism Fellowship

PR Newswire

NEW YORK, May 3, 2013

NEW YORK, May 3, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Twenty talented young American and Burmese journalists from the fields of print, photo, audio, and video have been selected to participate in a two-week cultural exchange and journalism fellowship in Myanmar through a not-for-profit partnership between the Open Hands Initiative, The GroundTruth Project, and GlobalPost.

"On this day, World Press Freedom Day, we are honored to be inviting a team of incredibly talented young people to play a part in the advancement of press freedom in Myanmar," said Open Hands Initiative Founder and Chairman Jay T. Snyder. He added, "This is an historic period in time for Burma. We hope that with this fellowship we will not only help provide critical training to these young professionals, but also help support and encourage the bourgeoning of increased freedom of expression in the country."

The partners would like to enthusiastically congratulate the outstanding finalists for the "Burma Telling Its Own Story" fellowship, chosen from a competitive pool of more than 400 applicants. Below are the finalists:

The reporting fellowship will be led by a team of some of Asia's leading foreign correspondents: Charles Sennott, Executive Editor of GlobalPost and Director of The GroundTruth Project; Gary Knight, Founder of VII Photo Agency and Director of The Program for Narrative & Documentary Practice at Tufts University; Philip Blenskinsop, award winning photojournalist in Southeast Asia; Marc Laban, Founder of Asia Works, Michael Sullivan, Correspondent for NPR Southeast Asia; and Denis Gray, longtime bureau chief for Associated Press.

Together, these team leaders will teach the young reporters technical skills and explore the country's most important issues through one week of field reporting. Each team of fellows will journey throughout Myanmar covering the dramatic changes taking place in the country as well as undertaking "people-to-people diplomacy."

The reporting fellows' work will be featured as a GlobalPost Special Report and will be made available to GlobalPost editorial partners, including NPR.org, CBS News and more than 75 newspapers around the world.

Canon is supporting the "Burma Telling Its Own Story" fellowship by generously providing camera and video equipment for the training that will give the fellows access to the most advanced digital imaging technology.

The Open Hands Initiative is in its fourth year sponsoring international people-to-people exchanges with the mission of increasing respect and understanding between the people of the United States and the world. For more information about the "Burma Telling Its Own Story" fellowship, the participants, and the mission of Open Hands Initiative and its partners, please visit www.openhandsinitiative.org.